


More than a Monster

by TwistedSenpai



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Male Slash, Self-Discovery, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27816004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedSenpai/pseuds/TwistedSenpai
Summary: Stein and Spirit are reunited for the first time in 14 years when he becomes a professor at the DWMA. Old feelings are brought to the surface, new feelings are discovered.Can the pair rebuild the trust that was lost so long ago?
Relationships: Spirit Albarn | Death Scythe/Franken Stein
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shinigami is the Japanese word for Grim Reaper, this is the name I have used for Lord Death.

Stein absentmindedly traced his calloused fingers against the stitches in his wooden desk. He took a long drag from his cigarette, allowing the skull shaped circles of smoke to envelop him as they swirled around the still air of the dimly lit laboratory. 

“Professor?” He sounded out the word, tasting the shape of it on his tongue “I suppose it has a nice ring to it" He chuckled to himself before taking another deep inhale of his cigarette. 

Lord Death, his former headmaster, had contacted him quite unexpectedly that afternoon, it had been several years since they had last spoken, even longer since Shinigami had asked for his help. 

“I need your assistance conducting a lesson for some of our students Doctor Stein, do you think you handle it?” His voice sounded just as cheery as it had always been. 

Stein didn’t speak, he simply nodded silently into the mirror, gesturing for Shinigami to continue. 

“If this goes well, I’d like you be the new professor at our Academy. You are the greatest Meister ever to come out of the DWMA after all.” Death had mastered the art of flattery but Stein had no taste for it, he gave another small nod. 

“You should know Stein, one of the student’s taking this class will be Maka Albarn” Stein’s eyes narrowed, his mouth pressed into a firm line across his angled jaw. 

There was the sound of a door opening somewhere in the distance, Stein’s eyes widened as he saw the familiar redhead enter the death room. 

“I’ll do it” Stein said flatly before abruptly ending the call, making sure to hang up before Spirit could get any closer, he couldn’t face him yet. 

He felt his pulse quickening, it had been so many years since he caught a glimpse of that crimson red hair. Stein slumped back in his worn chair and began pulling at the loose threads of his oversized jumper. 

“Professor Stein?” he twisted the grey threads between his fingers as he pondered, entirely lost in thought. 

He dragged his feet down the winding corridors of his home, each footstep felt heavy with the weight of anticipation. He stopped outside a blue door, the paint was chipped and peeling away. The doctor took a deep and jagged breath as he rested his forehead against the rough wooden surface before turning the cold brass handle and entering the bathroom. He wiped the build-up of dust away from the faded mirror with his sleeve and saw a pale, ghost like face looking back at him. His silver hair was a tousled mess covering the green eyes beneath his silver framed glasses. 

_Am I really going to start worrying about appearances now? ___

____

__

He removed his coat, carefully folding it and placing it off to the side. He unbuckled his worn belt and let his trousers fall noiselessly to the floor, he pulled his jumper over the stitching on his shoulders, revealing his toned chest and the hardened muscles beneath. The perfect curves of muscle were scarred from a lifetime of self-inflicted incisions. 

“Shower” he muttered to himself, before turning the old steel tap and allowing the hot water to wash over him. 

Bitter memories swirled in his mind, clouding his vision like an unwelcomed fog – he was 16 again, he was losing him all over again. 

“You’ve lost Stein” The blonde 18-year-old smirked as she carried out the last few boxes from Spirit’s room. 

“I didn’t realise this was a game Kami” he said flatly as he watched her pack away the last of his weapon’s belongings. 

Kami crossed the distance between her and Stein, she leant in towards him and whispered into his ear, her words were slow and deliberate. “He’s mine now, I’ll make sure you never get to wield him again” She threw her head back as she laughed and turned away to gather up the last few boxes from the floor. 

She hovered by the exit before turning to give Stein one last look “and don’t even think about contacting either of us, Spirit hates you now” 

“Why would he...” Stein began, he could feel his composure slipping away. 

“I’ve made him believe you were experimenting on him for all these years” She stared unblinkingly from across the room “It wasn’t much of a stretch really, I planted the suggestion in his mind and like a seed, it grew” 

“I never touched him, you damned liar!” Stein gripped the back of the sofa, it was all he could do to keep himself from throttling her. 

“It doesn’t matter” Her lips twitched into a wicked smile “He’ll never believe you, not now that he’s got me” She turned to face the exit. 

“He’s terrified of you now, of your madness” She closed the door behind her with a gentle click. 

And then he was alone in the darkness, hours must have passed, somewhere in the distance he heard a bell chime, it must have been well past midnight by now. He could not release his grip from the sofa as his nails dug into to faded fabric, it was the only thing left anchoring him to this world. 

His spirit was gone. 

\----- 

As the hot water engulfed him, he felt his hands ball into fists against the cool ceramic tile of the wall. His mind went back further, to a place even worse than the last. 

\----- 

An 18-year-old spirit was sprawled across the sofa reading a textbook, with a furrowed brow and a perplexed expression across his features. Stein who was 16 at the time, sat across from him, perched on the edge of an old tattered armchair as he watched his partner intently. 

“Anything I can help you with?” He asked in a mocking tone. 

“No, I’m fine thank you very much” Spirit retorted indignantly, burying his nose further into the book. 

“You know, if you didn’t spend so much time skipping class with Kami you might have an easier time understanding the textbooks” He said dryly, narrowing his eyes as he examined his friend, his red hair had been tied messily into a ponytail, loose strands falling at the sides to frame his face. 

“What is your problem with Kami?” The older boy said sharply, snapping the book shut bringing his eyes up to meet Stein’s. 

“I don’t have a problem” He responded coolly, pausing for a moment “I just don’t think she’s good for you” 

“That’s rich coming from you!” Spirit was agitated now, he threw the book to one side and got to his feet. 

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean!” Stein folded his arms in exasperation. 

Spirit was shaking as his anger continued to grow, there was a look in his eyes that the younger boy hadn’t seen before... was it fear... or something worse, disgust? 

“Don’t play dumb with me Stein!” He warned through gritted teeth. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it” He said matter-of-factly, bending down to pick up his partner’s discarded book. 

Spirit went silent for a long moment, gathering his thoughts before daring to speak. 

“I can’t do this anymore...” He turned away from his friend, unable to face him. 

“I don’t understand”

“I can’t let you wield me anymore” Spirit choked out the words, his voice cracking as he fought back tears. 

He was at the door now, gripping the handle as he steadied his breathing. 

“You’re a monster" His voice trembled as he wrenched open the door.

“Spirit, I...” Stein’s voice cracked into the empty room, he felt like the air had been ripped from his lungs. Spirit was already gone – the open door swaying gently in the wind behind him. 

\-------- 

It had been 14 years and yet these memories still held great power over him. The doctor shook the images from his mind as he wrapped a towel around his hips and exited the shower, glancing at himself in the mirror 

With his right hand he carefully adjusted the screw that held his fragile mind together, a quarter turn to the left. It didn’t have the desired effect, unable to alleviate the weight that those memories carried. 

He grabbed a crumpled packet of cigarettes from the bathroom cabinet, sliding a long thin cigarette between his chapped lips. There was a quiet hiss and the smell of burning tobacco as he took a long inhale, clutching the cigarette with nicotine-stained fingers. 

Shower water was trickling down his back, his silver hair slicked back behind his ears, he looked at himself again in the mirror. More closely this time, he looked so different from the last time they had seen each other. Small lines had formed at the corners of his lips and shaped the edges of his olive-green eyes. He traced his finger over the large stitches that curved over his cheek, finally raising his hand up to the large iron screw that now held his cranium together. 

What would Spirit think of his monster now? He sighed and took another long drag of his cigarette before heading to his bedroom for a change of clothes. 

It was time to get ready for tonight’s lesson. 

\------ 

“I did as you asked Lord Death, the students have been instructed to head to the graveyard for their class tonight” 

“Excellent work Spirit” Shinigami placed a large gloved hand on Spirit’s shoulder encouragingly. 

“Who was that?” Spirit asked suspiciously, gesturing his hand towards the now empty mirror. 

“Oh, just an old friend that’s all” He chimed airily before taking a sip of his tea. 

“So, are you going to tell me what your plans are for my daughter tonight?” 

“Well, I thought Sid could give them a good scare, now that he’s risen from the dead you see” 

“A zombie? You think that’ll be enough?” he raised an eyebrow “Your plans are usually much more elaborate” 

“Well actually, there is a second part to my plan” He said perkily bringing his hands together in excitement. 

“Oh?” 

“But that’s a surprise!” he chirped before taking another a sip of his matcha tea “Please have a seat” he gestured towards the zabutons carefully laid out around the skull shaped table. 

Spirit obliged, carefully placing his knees on the soft fabric. That face in the mirror, it couldn’t have been him - he shook his head, of course not, he must be imagining things. The tie around his neck felt like it was getting tighter as sweat began to bead under his collar, his heart beating fiercely beneath his buttoned shirt. He sat there motionless with his head bowed, balling his hands into fists until his knuckles turned white. 

He could hear the shrill call of the school bell even here in the death room, this marked the end of the day. The students would be making their way to Death City’s graveyard shortly. 

“Lord Death” Spirit asked quietly. 

“Mmm?” He titled his head as he listened to his weapon partner. 

“Do you think we could watch over their class tonight?” 

“Of course, I expected nothing less – Maka is your daughter after all” 

“Thank you” He smiled sheepishly and took a sip of the tea in front of him. 

After a short while death turned to face the large ornate mirror that sat in the centre of the death room, he waved a hand over the glass to activate it. 

“It’s time”  
\--------------------------


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really hard to write, I've never written a fight scene before - I hope I did this scene from the anime justice.

Stein could sense their souls approaching as the students drew nearer to his patchwork laboratory. 

He darted his eyes nervously to the old clock that hung precariously on the cracked wall of his small office. The silence was disturbed only by its relentless ticking as it counted down the seconds until their lesson would begin. 

When he could feel their presence just outside, he pulled a fresh pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Inhaling deeply as he cranked the large screw in his skull three quarter turns to the right. 

_“If this goes well you can become a professor at the academy” ___

____

____

He gave the screw in his head several more cranks as he prepared himself. It was time to make his grand entrance, with one foot against the desk he propelled his chair backwards and aimed for the door. 

The wheels of his chair caught at the threshold, propelling him into the air and sending him face first onto his porch. The students watched in silence as he quickly scrambled to his feet, dusting himself off before mounting his chair and retreating back into his laboratory. He repeated the motion again, kicking his foot out on the desk and sending himself back towards the door. 

**THUD ******

********

********

The concrete slammed hard against his back almost winding him as he fell onto the hard ground in a crumpled heap for the second time. 

_Guess that’s my grand entrance idea out of the window. ___

____

____

He righted himself, perching himself on the chair as he straddled the old stitched fabric between his knees. He observed the students in front of him, sizing them up as he assessed their soul wavelengths. When his eyes fell upon Maka he felt his heart stop, he hadn’t expected those piercing eyes or the ferocity behind them – those were Spirit’s eyes. 

Black star was the first to attack. He jumped from the roof, wildly swinging punches and kicks at the tall scientist. Stein swivelled in his chair, blocking each attack with ease before elbowing his attacker to the ground. 

It was Maka’s turn to take the offensive, as she lunged forward with her Scythe tightly gripped between her white silk gloves. She swung with great speed and precision but was unable to land a hit on the man in front of her. 

“You must be his daughter” He said flatly, taking another drag from his cigarette. 

“You know my Papa?” Maka hesitated, taking a step back. 

“I can still remember his face while he slept” Stein smiled wickedly, the connotations of the statement deliberately ambiguous. 

“I see you are his dear young daughter, the daughter of the woman who stole him from me” He kept his voice cold and matter of fact. 

He tilted his head and fixed her with menacing stare; it was time to give these students the fight that they came for. He propelled his chair towards her at breakneck speed with his palm raised, small golden charges of electricity shot from his hand where the blow connected with her chest. The collision sent her flying backwards onto the ground. 

The doctor finally got to his feet, rolling the chair to the side as he did so. At 6 ft 10 he towered over most adults, so compared to these students he was a giant. 

“Now then, who shall I take apart first?” He shot them a chilling smile that might have appeared warm and welcoming under different circumstances. 

Maka was on her feet again, she charged at him swinging her Scythe with full force. It was futile, his catlike reflexes made it impossible to land a hit on her target. He caught her hair in a vice like grip causing her to lose her hold on her weapon. He tightened his grasp, dragging her towards him and restraining her helplessly with her back to his chest. Then, with a sadistic grin he rolled up her blouse and began etching lines across her torso with a marker pen. 

“Such silky-smooth skin. Just like your father, where shall I stick my Scalpel in first?” 

Whilst the doctor was distracted, Black Star seized the opportunity to ambush him with a wavelength attack. The force of his attack sent Maka tumbling onto the hard concrete. Stein turned to face his blue haired assailant, seemingly unphased. He raised his hands and blasted his own soul wavelength through the boy’s skull, sending him onto his back with a deafening crash. 

Maka watched in silent horror as her classmate keeled over, sensing that this battle was already lost, she fell to her knees despairingly. She turned to her weapon partner, her bottom lip trembling with fear as she bit back tears. 

“I saw his soul, the strength of it, it’s hopeless we can’t win this” She whimpered into his shoulder burying her face in his jacket. 

Gripping her shoulders tightly, he brought her head forward to meet his gaze “Snap out of it Maka, we can do this” He said encouragingly, hoping his voice conveyed more confidence than he felt. 

The young Meister clambered to her feet with renewed determination, twirling Soul’s scytheform above her head as they activated their soul resonance. 

With a brilliant flash of light her Scythe transformed into her most powerful attack, the one her mother was famous for; the witch hunter. She lunged towards the doctor and struck with all her might. He caught the blade with his bare hands, holding it inches from his face as the magical energy pulsed through him. 

The power emanating from her blade was impressive, despite not making contact with his face the force had caused a crack to form in his glasses – but it wasn’t enough. Stein focussed himself, and with a calculated flex of his muscles, shattered the magical blade. 

Maka was propelled backwards, she lay helplessly on the ground as she gasped for breath. Conjuring the witch hunter had drained the last of her power. Sensing his opponent was now immobilised, Stein took a step toward her with a menacing glint in his eyes. 

“I’d like to dissect you now” 

Soul returned to his human form and wrapped his arms protectively around her “I won’t let you lay a hand on my meister” 

“Then I'll start with you” The doctor placed a gentle hand on the boy’s head and offered him a warm smile. 

“I give you a passing grade, this remedial class is over” He took a step back, casually lighting another cigarette. 

“What are you-” Soul began, his voice tremoring. 

“You see I was asked by Lord Death to give you this remedial course. I have to admit it was pretty fun knocking you kids around” He smiled wickedly before taking a seat in his tattered desk chair. 

After a while, the students regathered enough strength to stagger to their feet, propping themselves on each other for support. 

Stein remained seated on the front porch until long after their soul wavelengths had dissipated into the distance of Death City. 


	3. Chapter 3

“My Maka fought so bravely against Sid! Did you see her conjure up witch hunter all on her own?” Spirit’s voice was glowing with pride. 

“Yes, very impressive for such a young meister” Shinigami nodded approvingly. 

“So where is my little girl off to now?” 

“I told you, it’s a surprise” 

Spirit clutched his tea cup tightly as he saw the group turn down a street that he recognised all too well. The silhouette of that old crooked house was unmistakable in the distance. 

He balled his hands into fists, getting to his feet quickly “How could you” he spat “it’s not safe there” 

“Calm down Deathscythe, this is all part of the plan” Shinigami tried to make his voice sound soothing but it did nothing to calm Spirit’s nerves. 

“How could you send my little girl there? Against him?” The weapon’s voice was shrill and panicked. 

He placed a gentle hand on Spirit’s shoulder “Spirit do you trust me?” 

“With my life” He said quietly. 

“Then please trust me on this, can you do that for me?” 

Spirit let out a long defeated sigh before slumping onto his knees as he watched the scene in the mirror unfold through gritted teeth. 

The door to the laboratory opened, his breath caught in his throat as he waited for his former partner to step out. 

They watched together in silence as the battle unfolded, as Maka and Black Star were struck down with Stein’s wavelength attacks. Spirit had known him long enough to sense when he was holding back, he breathed a sigh of relief and felt his muscles relax a little. 

His sense of calm vanished almost as quickly as it had arrived. He watched in horror as those long familiar fingers coiled around his young daughter’s hair, yanking her close and restraining her against his back. 

“What the fuck does he think he’s doing?” He scrambled to his feet no longer able to sit idly by. 

“I’ll kill him for this, I’ll fucking kill him” 

“Spirit please calm down” His meister said sternly as he turned to face him. 

After a few moments the lesson had finally reached its conclusion, Shinigami deactivated the mirror with a small wave of his hands. 

“Spirit-” he began. 

“This is not okay!” He spat indignantly “It’s not safe to have him here, teaching students” 

“Spirit-” 

“He’s insane, we can’t trust him” 

“Spirit” the older man tried again 

“You’re making a mistake” 

“ENOUGH” Lord Death had lost his patience. 

“This is my School Spirit, I have never given you cause to doubt my decision making in the past. I need you to take my word on this.” 

Spirit fell silent, barely managing a small nod as his arms fell limply at his sides 

“I need a drink” he muttered before turning on his heel and exiting the death room. 

\--- 

Stein was impatiently waiting for Lord Death’s report as he paced the full length of his office. 

“Hello _Professor_ Stein" A warm familiar voice filled the room. 

_ __ _

_ __ _

He spun on his heels to face Lord Death in the mirror “Ah, what took you so long? Evaluating my performance, were you?” He barely managed to mask the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. 

“A certain member of faculty took some convincing after watching your performance this evening” 

“Ah" He swallowed, waiting for Shinigami to continue. 

“Don’t worry, I assured them that their doubts were unfounded and that I have complete faith in you" He offered warmly. 

“This member of staff” He chewed his bottom lip “Spirit?” 

Shinigami nodded his head silently before continuing “Never mind that now, I expect you at the Academy bright and early tomorrow morning so that I can introduce you to your colleagues before school starts” 

\--- 

Spirit awoke the next morning with a pounding headache and very little memory of his evening at Chupa Cabras. He rubbed his sore eyes and headed for the bathroom, chuckling when he caught his reflection in the mirror. 

His eyes look tired and puffy from a night of drinking, there was very little colour in his cheeks and on his neck, a rather colourful looking bruise. The kind you get from letting a lover bite too hard. 

“Looks like I had fun last night” He sighed before climbing into the shower. 

\--- 

The walk to the Academy took Stein no time at all, he knew the streets of Death City like the back of his hand. He headed towards Shinigami's office with bated breath as he tried his best to remain calm. 

When he entered the familiar room he saw a group of teachers gathered around a large table. Some had their noses buried in stacks of papers, others were enjoying a morning cup of coffee and the remaining few were sat animatedly discussing current events. He scanned the room for one face in particular, a face that was noticeably absent from the crowd. 

“Ah professor Stein, you’re here! Welcome, welcome!” Lord Death gave him a formal bow before jovially patting him on the back. 

“I was hoping to make this announcement once all the faculty had arrived but it looks our Deathscythe appears to be running late” He let out a disapproving sigh. 

“No matter, it can’t be helped” Shinigami cleared his throat grabbing the attention of the teachers sat around the table. 

“Good Morning everyone, I’d like you all to give a warm welcome to newest addition to the DWMA. This is Professor Stein” 

The group gave him a collective nod before lining up to shake his hand and make their introductions. Their welcoming words filled his head with white noise; he shook the hands of his new colleagues, greeting them with civil tones and empty small talk. His eyes drifting towards the alcove as he awaited Spirit’s arrival. 

\- 

Spirit stood paralysed outside the entrance to his meister’s office, his mind was still hazy from the previous night's liquor. He had made every attempt to drown out this feeling inside him, and yet here he stood just as frightened and confused as he had felt 14 years ago. 

It would have been much simpler if he hated Stein, hatred was a simple emotion – easy to express, easy to understand and not the least bit confusing. But no matter how hard he tried, he could never bring himself to hate his old partner. 

Did he resent him? _Sure! _Did he admire him? _More than he cared to admit. _Was he afraid of him? _Naturally. _But could he hate him? _Never. _________

_____ _

_____ _

He glanced down at his watch, it wouldn’t be long until school was in session. Lord Death had specifically asked him to make an appearance this morning. 

There was no escaping it, he closed his eyes, taking one final breath as he entered the familiar clouded office. The room was lit by an invisible sun, with sand covered floors and a graveyard of crosses that spanned a seemingly infinite horizon. There he was, in the middle of the room; Stein stood stoic and tall, fitting so perfectly into his surroundings as though he had always been there. 

The young boy Spirit had left all those years ago was the man standing before him now, his silver hair framing his high cheekbones, pale green eyes behind round rimmed glasses and the scars, so many new scars. 

The redhead felt his heart fill with a harrowing shame as he studied the man across the room. He wondered how many of those new scars would not have been there if he had never left. He wondered how long the screw had been there, if he could have done something to stop him.

**CRASH ******

********

********

He stumbled, tripping over the feet of the School’s Physics professor. He had been absentmindedly ambling towards Stein, completely unaware of his surroundings. Scrambling gracelessly to his feet, he adjusted his crooked tie and made a feeble attempt to smooth out the creases in his tailored green shirt. 

“Nice of you to make an appearance... at last” Lord Death’s voice had lost a little of its usual buoyancy. 

Spirit looked at his feet, shifting awkwardly on the spot as he felt the blood rush to his cheeks. 

“I’m sorry I’m late sir, I got er... held up this morning” 

“Yes I can see that” He paused “At any rate, now that you’re here you can show Professor Stein to his classroom” 

“But sir...” 

“That’s an order Spirit” 

He turned to his former Meister, straightening himself up as his heart threatened to rip through his chest. 

Their eyes met, for the first time in more than a decade and suddenly it felt like they were the only two people in the room. 

Everything else disappeared from view, there was no sound, no ground beneath his feet, there was just those penetrating green eyes. 

The urge to reach out and embrace his old meister was almost unbearable, every fibre of his being was screaming at him. He wanted to hold him, to apologise for leaving, to apologise for ever hurting him. 

He couldn’t say any of it, he knew it would sound hollow and empty, he knew Stein could never forgive him.

He swallowed as he tried to remember how to speak. 

“This way Professor Stein” 


End file.
